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Hey all,
I have this vision of building a huge, fiery, armored character, that hits like a truck with a big weapon, and throws fireballs (or likewise spells) around. But... I just can't seem to get to it. I was wondering if this community would have some ideas I might have overlooked.
So far... I've got:
Armor abilities:
called (+1 enchantment) and fitting (+2000 gp). This would allow me to call my armor upon myself after I switch to elemental form.
Problem: there is no power to quickly remove armor (except for a 3.5 armor modification I found), so this has to be done outside combat.
Class options:
Druid:
Pros: elemental form at hours per day starting at level 6. Fiery spells. Possible to take feral shifter archetype and planar focus to gain +1d6 / 4 levels on melee damage.
Cons: no metal armors, fire elemental doesn't hit like a truck and earth elemental isn't fiery.
Rectifications: voidglass armor?
Oracle or Ravener hunter (inquisitor archetype) with volcano revelation:
Pros: magma elemental from level 7/8
Cons: just 1/day (dispel sensitive), inquisitor has no fire spells, no permanent fire resistance (which is really odd when you're a burning person).
Rectifications: abundant revelations (can ravener hunter take this?) makes the hurt a little less. Try to cast energy resistance a lot...
Sorcerer shapeshifter bloodline (via eldritch heritage) combined with any class that casts elemental body (magus, maybe?)
Cons: just 1/day, at fairly high level
Elemental knight (elementalist archetype)
Pros: elemental form at level 10 lasts all day and looks the way you want to. Magma theme is entirely possible by that level. Some fire resistance (2/level), and some DR/adamantine (1/2 levels). You're actually wielding flame or magma.
Cons: elemental form has no real benefits. No damage increase, reach increase, but reach is already 15' by then, and size bonuses are got regardless of your size. Mostly, though, I'm currently playing a telekineticist, and I don't want to make yet another character with the same mechanics, who never wields a weapon, but always blasts away.
VMC oracle (volcano)
Cons: start at level 15 and 1/day
Bloodrager (elemental bloodline)
Cons: fire or earth (no magma), start level 16 and 1/day
Shaman:
Same as bloodrager.
So... Is there anything I'm missing? Is there a way to pull this off the way I want?
-dependable magma form
-heavy armor
-2h weapon to hit like a truck with
-possibility to blast enemy with fire.
Pyrokinetecist with kinetic blade.
Elemental body literally shrouds you in fire, as does your elemental defence.
Honestly pyro Kinetic Knight could be pretty good for what you want too.
The Kinetic Knight option gives up the ability to throw fireballs but he gets some pretty neat tricks to make him super tanky and really quite fun in melee.
The normal Kinetecist keeps the option to throw fireballs but also is not quite as good in melee as the Kinetic Knight
Starts with medium armor, armor training at 3rd, heavy armor and Fireball at 7th level. Fire Shield/Elemental Body at 10th level. Eventually Elemental Body III and large size.
Might as well use a two-handed sword, does not get Spell Combat (The only thing the archetype gives up. Arcane Pool is modified to work on armor instead of weapons.)
Kinetic Knight would also be my suggestion, for this concept.
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I guess... you're right.
Kineticist (kinetic knight) does seem to be the best option. And of course, it's definitely not a bad class! Tons of hp (really, tons), and dependable reach damage, based on constitution.
I guess it's mostly me wanting a different class :D
BUT.
Maybe I should just draft up a geo/pyrokinetic knight, and also draft up a monster tactician / ravener hunter inquisitor, and just compare the two...
After all, geo/pyro should be an entirely different experience than my current tele/aero...
Thanks for thinking along with me!
Oh, btw. The armored battlemage is cool, but its elemental body spells last minutes per level, and I'm looking for hours per level options. Also, the standard elemental body options don't include magma ;)
You can play them completely differently. I assume with Tele/Aero you are focusing on range...
You can focus on melee and close range control with the pyro/geo
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I'm juggling the two, actually.
I have the 'problem', though, that my party consists of players who are less adept at optimisation.
I'm trying to convince my party that the Kineticist is far from the strongest class in the game, but when I heal others with 5d6+18 basically at will, become invisible at will, dish out (5d6+18)x1,5 damage at a range of 480 feet every round, and am only a level away from permanent flight, they tend not to believe me...
The kinetic whip with combat reflexes, being able to take more than 120 damage, the option for electricity damage, and being an excellent thief is just icing on the cake.
Should you wonder, I'm level 9.
Point being. Whether or not my character is going to be powerful, doesn't really matter, but I should at least play a different class for my next character.
That makes sense.
The kineticist has a very interesting problem of being considered far too strong by some groups and far to weak by others.
I feel this is because they have a high floor and a low ceiling. No matter what they do they will always be doing decent damage, and gain really neat utility baked into the class.
The kineticist is a great class. I find it a very rewarding class to play. I can spend feats on interesting stuff and my money on cool niche items.
Your concern is valid though. A bit of a funny option. Play ifrit, spend a feat to increase your fire resistance, and then literally set yourself on fire
Do any summoner eidolons meet these requirements? Or synthesist armor? Multiclass fighter/druid with Shaping Focus and stone or ironwood armor?
You could actually go for a fire elemental eidolon which would work.
Re magma druids; if you play a dwarven druid, take heavy armor proficiency and wear stoneplate you're just about there.
Magma druid was a summary of your idea, not an archetype or something. Stoneplate armor and fiery spells or wildshape into a fire elemental seems to me to get you most of the way to your concept.
The fun thing with the ifrit is you can get free enlarge person to help you hit things harder.
What is more badass than the guy who sets himself on fire, throws a flask of oil at you, and then runs at you :P